Pfullendorf
Pfullendorf | |
---|---|
Location of Pfullendorf within Sigmaringen district | |
Coordinates: 47°55′27″N 9°15′24″E / 47.92417°N 9.25667°E | |
Country | Germany |
State | Baden-Württemberg |
District | Sigmaringen |
Government | |
• Mayor (2022–30) | Ralph Gerster[1] (CDU) |
Area | |
• Total | 90.56 km2 (34.97 sq mi) |
Elevation | 654 m (2,146 ft) |
Population (2021-12-31)[2] | |
• Total | 13,501 |
• Density | 150/km2 (390/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
Postal codes | 88630 |
Dialling codes | 07552 |
Vehicle registration | SIG |
Website | www.pfullendorf.de |
Pfullendorf is a small town of about 13,000 inhabitants located 25 km (16 mi) north of
The town is in the district of Sigmaringen south of the Danube valley and therefore on the continental divide between the watersheds of the Rhine and the Danube. The area is known as the Linzgau.
History
Early history
Pfullendorf was founded by the
The area around Lake Constance, particularly the Linzgau, Hegau and Vorarlberg, came progressively under the rule of the counts of Pfullendorf from the 8th century onward. The earliest documented bearer of that name was Count Ludwig von Pfullendorf, who is referred to as the ruler of the county of Hegau from 1067 to 1116. Presumably, Pfullendorf expanded due to its proximity to the counts' castle. Count Rudolf, a partisan of the future Emperor
Free Imperial City
Imperial City of Pfullendorf Reichsstadt Pfullendorf | |||||||||
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1220–1803 | |||||||||
Status | Mediatised to Baden | 1803 | |||||||
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In June 1220, Emperor Frederick II elevated Pfullendorf to the status of Imperial City. However, the prince-bishops of Constance, as the biggest landowners in the Linzgau and patrons of several religious institutions such as Holy Spirit Hospital in Pfullendorf, continued to exert significant political influence over the whole area. At the Council of Constance (1415), King Sigismund granted Blutgerichtsbarkeit ("Blood justice" or the right to pronounce sentences of death or mutilation) to the town, a status that confirmed the city as being answerable to God and to the Emperor only.
Starting in 1383, Pfullendorf ruled itself according to a constitution that gave decisive powers to the town guilds and provided for the annual election of the mayor. A 50-member “High Council” also elected annually, was vested with executive authority alongside a 17-member “Small Council” chaired by the mayor. With brief interruptions, this guild-based constitution remained in force until 1803 and was to serve as a model for other cities.
Pfullendorf became a member of the powerful Swabian League in 1488 and took part in the war of 1492 against Duke Albrecht of Bavaria. The city was assigned to contribute 4 footmen, 6 horsemen, 4 wagons and 8 tents for the campaign.
Like a few other small Free Imperial Cities in the vicinity of Lake Constance, Pfullendorf was comparatively untouched by the turmoil that engulfed Germany during the
End of the Free Imperial City of Pfullendorf
Like most of the other 50 Free Imperial Cities, Pfullendorf lost its freedom in the course of the mediatisation of 1803 and was annexed to the Margraviate of Baden.
The old hospital building in the center of town was sold and in 1845 (it now houses the restaurant Deutscher Kaiser) and a new hospital opened on the site of a former monastery near the Upper Gate. The city was connected to the railway network in 1873-75.
Pfullendorf remained an administrative center in the upper Linzgau until 1936. It then became part of the district of Überlingen, and has been a part of the district of Sigmaringen since 1973. During the administrative reforms that occurred from 1972 to 1976, the neighboring villages of Aach-Linz, Denkingen, Gaisweiler, Tautenbronn, Großstadelhofen, Mottschieß, Otterswang, and Zell-Schwäblishausen became part of Pfullendorf.
Culture
The
Twin towns
- Allschwil in Switzerland since April 13, 1984
- Saint-Jean-de-Braye in France since May 1, 1987
Notable Pfullendorfers
- Roderich Kiesewetter, politician
- DSDSwinner for Season 6.
- Galatasaray, professional football player.
References
- ^ Bürgermeisterwahl Pfullendorf 2022, Staatsanzeiger.
- Statistisches Landesamt Baden-Württemberg. June 2022.